Creamy Vegan Dal Makhani with Coconut Cream and Kidney Beans
Vegan dal makhani with whole black urad dal and kidney beans, slow-simmered in a spiced tomato masala and finished with coconut cream. A rich Diwali main.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 110 min
- Rest
- 8 h
- Serves
- 6
Creamy Vegan Dal Makhani with Coconut Cream and Kidney Beans is a vegan dinner recipe made with whole black urad dal (sabut urad), water, canned kidney beans. It takes 125 minutes of hands-on time, plus 8 hours resting, serves 6, and each serving has 335 calories, 14 g of protein and 11 g of fiber.
Dal makhani gets its velvety body from time, not butter: whole black urad dal simmers until the skins split and the insides turn creamy, then cooks down again with the masala until the two become one. Partly mashing the lentils and kidney beans thickens the pot naturally. Full-fat coconut milk goes in at the end, so it adds richness without tasting strongly of coconut. Crushed kasuri methi gives it the flavor of a restaurant version, which makes it a good centerpiece for a Diwali spread.
A base legume + texture (slow-simmered whole black urad dal and kidney beans in a rich coconut-cream tomato sauce for a restaurant-style Diwali dish, instead of quick red lentil and squash dal with tadka) take on our One-Pot Red Lentil Butternut Squash Dal with Spinach and Cumin Tadka.
Ingredients
Dal
- 1 cup200 gwhole black urad dal (sabut urad), picked over and rinsed
- 5 cups1.19 kgwater, plus more as needed
- 1 can240 gcanned kidney beans, drained and rinsed, 15 oz can
Masala
- 3 tbsp42 gneutral oil
- 1 tsp2.1 gcumin seeds
- 2 0.4 gbay leaves
- 1 large150 gyellow onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves18 ggarlic, minced
- 1½ tbsp9 gfresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tbsp16 gtomato paste
- 1 tsp1.8 gKashmiri chili powder (or 1/2 tsp paprika plus a pinch of cayenne)
- 1 tsp1.8 gground coriander
- 1½ tsp3 ggaram masala, divided
- 1½ cups360 gcanned crushed tomatoes
- 1½ tsp9 gsalt, plus more to taste
Finish
- 1 cup226 gfull-fat canned coconut milk, well stirred
- 1 tbsp2 gkasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)
- 1 tsp6.7 gmaple syrup, to balance acidity (optional)
To serve
- 2 tbsp28 gcoconut milk, for drizzling (optional)
- 2 tbsp2 gfresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
- 4 cups632 gcooked basmati rice or vegan naan, for serving (optional)
Kit: large Dutch oven or heavy pot, large skillet, potato masher
Tips
- Don't skip the soak: unsoaked whole urad dal can take well over 2 hours and stays grainy.
- Dal makhani thickens a lot as it cools, so leave it a little looser than you want in the pot.
- It tastes even better the next day, so you can make it a day ahead for a Diwali meal.
Swap ideas
- Pressure cook the soaked urad dal in an Instant Pot on high for 25 minutes with natural release instead of simmering it
- Cuts about 45 minutes of cooking time; then finish with the masala on Sauté.
- Use 1/2 cup cashew cream instead of the coconut milk
- Gives a more neutral, classic dairy-like richness with no coconut flavor.
- Stir in 2 tbsp vegan butter with the coconut milk
- Brings it closer to the buttery restaurant flavor and makes it richer.
- Use 1/3 cup dried kidney beans soaked alongside the urad dal instead of canned
- More traditional texture; boil them hard for at least 10 minutes before simmering with the dal so they're safe to eat.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
335kcal per serving
Everything else · 6 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 7.8 g 39%
- Sugars
- 3.5 g
- Sodium
- 670 mg 29%
- Potassium
- 790 mg 17%
- Calcium
- 110 mg 8%
- Iron
- 6 mg 33%
- Vitamin C
- 12 mg 14%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Urad Dal (Black Gram) — Nutrition, per 100g raw, citing IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN Hyderabad), Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Beans, kidney, red, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Oil, canola, Spices, cumin seed, Spices, bay leaf, Onions, raw, Garlic, raw, Ginger root, raw, Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Spices, pepper, red or cayenne (SR Legacy; used as proxy for pure ground red chili, since USDA 'chili powder' is a salted spice blend), Spices, coriander seed, ORGANIC GARAM MASALA (KHAZANA, SLT Foods Inc.; USDA Branded Foods, serving size 100 g), Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice, Salt, table, Nuts, coconut milk, canned (liquid expressed from grated meat and water)
Method
Cover the rinsed urad dal with at least 3 inches of cold water and soak for 8–12 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse again; the lentils will have swelled noticeably.
Put the soaked urad dal and 5 cups water in a large Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam. Reduce to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook 60–75 minutes, stirring now and then and topping up with hot water if the level drops below the lentils, until a lentil crushes easily between your fingers and many skins have split.
While the dal simmers, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and bay leaves and sizzle until the seeds darken a shade and smell toasty, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until deep golden, 10–12 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander and 1 tsp of the garam masala and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and salt and cook, stirring, until the masala is thick, darkened and oil glistens at the edges, 8–10 minutes.
Scrape the masala into the pot of dal and add the kidney beans. Use a potato masher to crush about a third of the lentils and beans against the side of the pot.
Simmer uncovered over low heat for 25–30 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom often so it doesn't catch, until thick, glossy and creamy. Add splashes of hot water if it gets stiffer than a thick soup.
Stir in the coconut milk, the remaining 1/2 tsp garam masala, and the kasuri methi crushed between your palms. Simmer gently 5–10 minutes more, then remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt, adding maple syrup if the tomatoes taste sharp.
Let rest off the heat for 10 minutes to thicken and settle. Serve drizzled with coconut milk and scattered with cilantro, with basmati rice or naan.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. It thickens as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of water when reheating gently on the stove.
Questions
- How much protein is in creamy vegan dal makhani with coconut cream and kidney beans?
- Each of the 6 servings has 14 g of protein, 11 g of fiber and 335 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is creamy vegan dal makhani with coconut cream and kidney beans vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does creamy vegan dal makhani with coconut cream and kidney beans take to make?
- 15 minutes of prep and 110 minutes of cooking, so 125 minutes of hands-on time, plus 8 hours of unattended resting.
- Can you make creamy vegan dal makhani with coconut cream and kidney beans ahead?
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. It thickens as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of water when reheating gently on the stove.
- What can I substitute in creamy vegan dal makhani with coconut cream and kidney beans?
- Pressure cook the soaked urad dal in an Instant Pot on high for 25 minutes with natural release instead of simmering it — cuts about 45 minutes of cooking time; then finish with the masala on sauté.. Use 1/2 cup cashew cream instead of the coconut milk — gives a more neutral, classic dairy-like richness with no coconut flavor.. Stir in 2 tbsp vegan butter with the coconut milk — brings it closer to the buttery restaurant flavor and makes it richer.. Use 1/3 cup dried kidney beans soaked alongside the urad dal instead of canned — more traditional texture; boil them hard for at least 10 minutes before simmering with the dal so they're safe to eat..
- Does creamy vegan dal makhani with coconut cream and kidney beans contain gluten or nuts?
- None of the ingredients are a source of gluten, tree nuts or peanuts. That is a statement about the ingredient list, not a guarantee about the brands you buy — always read the labels if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 3, 2026 ·Indian (Punjabi)
